A message:

Before anything else, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all the lovely people who reviewed my other 'ML' fic - and all my other fics, for that matter. I'm sorry for not replying all of you personally, but your comments were read and are greatly appreciated. And to everyone for taking the time to read my fics, thank you for your 'hits' - I hope you enjoyed what you read.

Thank you all very much once again. Do enjoy your time here and have a nice day :)

Camus

It's not that he didn't like taking care of them; no, far from it. They were his ever faithful and loyal companions, his very life – he'd do anything for them.

But Camus knew he wasn't exactly the healthiest of individuals, and given the vast array of flora that filled the greenhouse, he wouldn't have minded an extra pair of hands to help out every now and then, especially on this particular morning. It seemed that the flu season had once again arrived.

Taking a watering can, he'd started to fill it with water when he felt her unmistakable presence, all bright and cheerful with a slight twinge of fluster.

"Good morning, Erika-san. What brings you here so early in the day?"

"Ah, Camus, good morning," Erika returned the greeting with a smile as she stepped through the threshold, hugging a stack of papers to her chest, "Have you seen Lui-sama? I need to pass these documents to him before classes start, and I thought he'd be here."

Camus glanced out at the gradually brightening sky, "I'm afraid he hasn't stopped by yet. You're a bit too early, Erika-san. Would you like to leave the documents behind instead?"

Erika considered Camus' offer, then shook her head in reply, "No, it'd be better if I handed them to him personally. But thank you for you kind offer."

She made a move to leave when she noticed the watering can in Camus' hand.

"Oh, were you just about to water the plants?"

"Ah, hai," Camus replied, holding up the gardening tool in his hand that he'd almost forgotten he was holding.

Briskly putting the documents on a nearby chair before grabbing another watering can, Erika then proceeded to fill it with water.

"Please allow me to assist you, Camus."

He hadn't expected his wish to actually get answered, but Erika's actions weren't all unexpected. She was Erika after all; and this was just the sort of thing she'd do without hesitation.

"I'd very much appreciate it if you did, Erika-san," Camus answered, genuinely grateful, "as would all the plants here," he continued, giving voice to those that could not speak out loud for themselves.

Erika smiled happily as she finished filling her watering can and went to join Camus along the row of carnations.

"It's my pleasure," she said, carefully watering the plants.

'And my privilege…,' thought Camus, as he and Erika carried out their task in companionable silence.

Standard disclaimers apply